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Chicago · Registered nurse · $98,500 · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
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San Diego skyline
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#312 of 387 for you

San Diego: $1,593/mo left

Move scoreC
Alabama: $2,168 left in a typical monthArizona: $2,126 left in a typical monthArkansas: $2,400 left in a typical monthCalifornia: $1,645 left in a typical monthColorado: $2,458 left in a typical monthConnecticut: $2,294 left in a typical monthDelaware: $1,980 left in a typical monthDistrict of Columbia: $2,913 left in a typical monthFlorida: $2,204 left in a typical monthGeorgia: $1,988 left in a typical monthIdaho: $2,056 left in a typical monthIllinois: $2,569 left in a typical monthIndiana: $2,407 left in a typical monthIowa: $2,838 left in a typical monthKansas: $2,391 left in a typical monthKentucky: $2,312 left in a typical monthLouisiana: $2,486 left in a typical monthMaine: $1,949 left in a typical monthMaryland: $2,359 left in a typical monthMassachusetts: $2,076 left in a typical monthMichigan: $2,360 left in a typical monthMinnesota: $2,600 left in a typical monthMississippi: $2,011 left in a typical monthMissouri: $2,581 left in a typical monthMontana: $2,222 left in a typical monthNebraska: $2,541 left in a typical monthNevada: $2,296 left in a typical monthNew Hampshire: $2,794 left in a typical monthNew Jersey: $1,864 left in a typical monthNew Mexico: $2,037 left in a typical monthNew York: $2,320 left in a typical monthNorth Carolina: $2,194 left in a typical monthNorth Dakota: $3,238 left in a typical monthOhio: $2,583 left in a typical monthOklahoma: $2,455 left in a typical monthOregon: $1,624 left in a typical monthPennsylvania: $2,380 left in a typical monthRhode Island: $2,094 left in a typical monthSouth Carolina: $2,108 left in a typical monthSouth Dakota: $2,780 left in a typical monthTennessee: $2,530 left in a typical monthTexas: $2,620 left in a typical monthUtah: $1,822 left in a typical monthVermont: $2,118 left in a typical monthVirginia: $2,326 left in a typical monthWashington: $2,473 left in a typical monthWest Virginia: $2,277 left in a typical monthWisconsin: $2,642 left in a typical monthWyoming: $2,849 left in a typical month
Less leftMore left
  • Rent under 30% of pay
  • 266 sunny days

From your Chicago paycheck, you'd keep −$833/mo versus Chicago.

Compare

Versus Chicago.

Take the quizRank metros from San Diego

Left each month

$1,593

Versus Chicago

−$833/mo

−$9,996 a year

Local pay

$102,252

This job, this city

Top things to do in San Diego

More in San Diego
Paycheck to pocket
Monthly pay$8,521
Tax$2,289
Rent$2,292
Other bills$2,347
Left$1,593

Next

$1,593 / mo left

Alabama: $2,168 left in a typical monthArizona: $2,126 left in a typical monthArkansas: $2,400 left in a typical monthCalifornia: $1,645 left in a typical monthColorado: $2,458 left in a typical monthConnecticut: $2,294 left in a typical monthDelaware: $1,980 left in a typical monthDistrict of Columbia: $2,913 left in a typical monthFlorida: $2,204 left in a typical monthGeorgia: $1,988 left in a typical monthIdaho: $2,056 left in a typical monthIllinois: $2,569 left in a typical monthIndiana: $2,407 left in a typical monthIowa: $2,838 left in a typical monthKansas: $2,391 left in a typical monthKentucky: $2,312 left in a typical monthLouisiana: $2,486 left in a typical monthMaine: $1,949 left in a typical monthMaryland: $2,359 left in a typical monthMassachusetts: $2,076 left in a typical monthMichigan: $2,360 left in a typical monthMinnesota: $2,600 left in a typical monthMississippi: $2,011 left in a typical monthMissouri: $2,581 left in a typical monthMontana: $2,222 left in a typical monthNebraska: $2,541 left in a typical monthNevada: $2,296 left in a typical monthNew Hampshire: $2,794 left in a typical monthNew Jersey: $1,864 left in a typical monthNew Mexico: $2,037 left in a typical monthNew York: $2,320 left in a typical monthNorth Carolina: $2,194 left in a typical monthNorth Dakota: $3,238 left in a typical monthOhio: $2,583 left in a typical monthOklahoma: $2,455 left in a typical monthOregon: $1,624 left in a typical monthPennsylvania: $2,380 left in a typical monthRhode Island: $2,094 left in a typical monthSouth Carolina: $2,108 left in a typical monthSouth Dakota: $2,780 left in a typical monthTennessee: $2,530 left in a typical monthTexas: $2,620 left in a typical monthUtah: $1,822 left in a typical monthVermont: $2,118 left in a typical monthVirginia: $2,326 left in a typical monthWashington: $2,473 left in a typical monthWest Virginia: $2,277 left in a typical monthWisconsin: $2,642 left in a typical monthWyoming: $2,849 left in a typical monthChicagoSan Diego
Less leftMore left
San Diego · this breakdownChicago · home

The month

One earner. 1 bd.

See full breakdown
  • Taxes$2,289
  • Rent$2,292
  • Other living costs$2,347
  • Left over$1,593

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay
$102,252
Federal income tax
−$14,109
Social Security and Medicare
−$7,822
State income tax (CA)
−$5,537
Take-home pay
$74,784
Effective tax rate
26.9%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br
$2,292
Groceries
$468
Getting around
$650
Healthcare
$527
Utilities and internet
$293
Everything else
$410
Total spending
$4,639

Left over each month

$8,521 gross, minus $2,289 in tax and $4,639 in living costs.

$1,593

Working remotely

If the paycheck stays the same

One adult, one bedroom, $120,000 held flat in every city. That leaves $2,493 a month here after tax and rent. One-bedroom rent in that math is $2,292.

Work from home
16.1% of workers
ACS 2024 1-year
Home internet
82.3% of households
Cable, fiber optic, or DSL
Paid to move, remote job
No open remote grant on this metro

Worked-from-home share is Census B08006_017E divided by all workers (ACS 2024 1-year, or ACS 2023 5-year when the 1-year table has no metro). Internet is households with cable, fiber optic, or DSL, from ACS 2023 5-year.

Best cities for remote workersMoving from California

USAJOBS

Federal jobs that pay relocation here

27 open postings marked relocation-eligible. Fetched October 10, 2026.

  • SECURITY ASSISTANT (OA)

    Commander, Navy Installations Command · $46,533–$60,494 a year

    Coronado, CA · Naval Station Complex, CA · San Diego, CA · Closes October 21, 2026

  • FFSP Clinical Counselor

    NRSW Naval Base Point Loma N91 (Commander, Navy Installations Command) · $102,246–$122,697 a year

    Point Loma Complex, CA · San Diego, CA · Closes October 22, 2026

  • Supervisory Program Manager (Assistant Director)

    Department of State Headquarters · $125,776–$197,200 a year

    Hot Springs, AR · Tucson, AZ · Los Angeles, CA · +27 more · Hot Springs, AR, Tucson, AZ, Los Angeles, CA +26 · Closes October 22, 2026

  • SUPERVISORY LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT SPECIALIST - DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY

    Air Force Materiel Command · $143,677–$197,169 a year

    San Diego, CA · San Diego, CA · Closes October 23, 2026

  • Supervisory Park Ranger (P)

    Cabrillo National Monument (National Park Service) · $87,667–$113,973 a year

    San Diego, CA · San Diego, CA · Closes October 23, 2026

22 more on the full list.

All federal jobs that pay relocation

The place

266 sunny days. July high 78°F. January nights 50°F. 27 min commute. A car per adult.

Weather
266 sunny days, 78°F in July, 50°F January nights
Getting around
A car per adult
Average commute
27 minutes each way
Size
3.3M people
Buying instead
Median home $791,600. About $5,170/mo with 20% down.
Taxes
California income tax. Sales tax 8.8%, property tax 0.67%.

Fit

Money left over
30
Sun and mild weather
88
Being in a big city
76
Public school districts in San Diego

12 largest districts, NCES 2024-2025. This is districts, not every school. Students, school count, and pupils per teacher.

Public school districts in San Diego
DistrictCityStudentsSchoolsPupils / teacher
San Diego UnifiedSan Diego95,17517523
Poway UnifiedSan Diego34,4053922.7
Sweetwater Union HighChula Vista34,2822922.3
Chula Vista ElementaryChula Vista22,2454422
San Marcos UnifiedSan Marcos18,8601923.5
Vista UnifiedVista18,1122620.7
Grossmont Union HighEl Cajon16,4761522
Cajon Valley UnionEl Cajon15,9922623.8
Oceanside UnifiedOceanside14,8902322.7
Escondido UnionEscondido13,9222418.9
San Dieguito Union HighEncinitas12,0551024.1
Carlsbad UnifiedCarlsbad10,7081622.7

Chicago vs San Diego

Full comparison

More on this city

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Moving from San Diego

Take-home by job in San Diego

Pay and leftover for every job in San Diego

Other California metros

All California metros

Questions

How is take-home pay in San Diego calculated?

San Diego is in California, which taxes wage income. Take-home is a local salary minus federal tax, payroll tax, and that state tax. Leftover is what remains after rent.

What does rent cost in San Diego?

About $2,292 for a one-bedroom and $2,728 for a two-bedroom in San Diego, CA.

How do I compare San Diego with another city?

Put San Diego next to another city on the same job and household. The gap is the tax bill and the rent.

Also look at

Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.

Compare San Diego